Iowa Taxpayers Deserve Constitutional Protection

posted on May 5, 2017

Iowa Code dictates that the Legislature can only spend up to 99 percent of the projected revenue. The Iowa Senate has already passed a constitutional amendment to place the 99 percent spending limitation into the Iowa State Constitution, but the House has yet to act. As Iowa Legislators struggle with making difficult decisions to fund numerous government programs, there will be pressure to raise tax rates in an attempt to bring in extra revenue. This would not just be a policy mistake; it would harm Iowa’s economy. Therefore, the Legislature should consider a state constitutional amendment to require a supermajority vote of the Legislature in order to raise taxes. This would provide the taxpayers of Iowa with protections against excessive taxation.